


the stray fairy of death

by clae



Series: The Rangers of Heimmr [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adventurers, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Child Soldiers, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Domestic Fluff, I'm sorry I don't know how to tag, M/M, Magic From Technology, Married Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Not Beta Read, Podium Family, Threats of Violence, somewhat based on kiseki/trails series, surprisingly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:31:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clae/pseuds/clae
Summary: When Viktor Nikiforov first appeared in the Okukawa dojo five years ago and half-forced his way to recruit Yuuri to the Rangers’ Association, Yuuri knew immediately that the word “normal” would soon become something difficult to reconcile with the situation of his life afterwards.Chasing criminals across borders and ancient ruins? Small work - he was not known as the "Azure Storm" for nothing. Trying to defuse the tension between his husband and the stuck-up higher-ups of the Association? Tiring, but he could manage. Having fended off at leastfifteenpeople planning to assassinate his husbandandhim? He had long prepared himself for the risk of being a high-rank Ranger.Still, no matter how well-trained he had been, Yuuri certainly hoped he did not have to deal with the fact that their house was almost turned into amurder scene. Especially when he was the one being held at sword-and-rifle-point by a blond-haired boy a few inches shorter than he was.Using Viktor’s own weapon, no less.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another "this was supposed to be one shot but I ended up writing too much".
> 
> The concept of this AU is more or less based on _Kiseki_ series (i.e. the magic-from-technology setup, as well as the adventurers-type people and mercenaries, the rivalry among them), as well as from my own currently-stalled original project (the elements and mention of Guardians). This fic is intended more as a "set-up" for the world and there is no major plot thread planned so far, but I will write more about some stuffs mentioned in the future. _Hopefully._
> 
> This work is not beta-read and I apologize for the grammatical errors, but I hope you'll enjoy it!

When Viktor Nikiforov first appeared in the Okukawa dojo five years ago and half-forced his way to recruit Yuuri to the Rangers’ Association, Yuuri knew immediately that the word “normal” would soon become something difficult to reconcile with the situation of his life afterwards.

Well, normal by ordinary people's standards, at least.

Really, unless he had incredibly warped sense of normalcy (which might have been true anyway, after all those years of insane assignments), then “normal” was not something he could really use to describe his life with the man he now proudly called as his husband. Especially not when said life involved these things among others:

  1. chasing fugitives and criminals across borders and ancient ruins
  2. having to regularly try to defuse the ever-going tension between his husband and the more stuck-up higher-ups of the Association
  3. chasing the track of said husband across the continent when he suddenly left for a quest of personal vendetta and Yuuri’s well-being on the line clearly had something to do with said decision, and
  4. having fended off at least _fifteen_ assassination attempts on his husband at the hands of people whose battle skills were clearly not to be taken lightly, at least nine of them being Scavengers.



Yuuri accepted it all, no matter how tiring or exasperating it could get. He, after all, did not earn the “Azure Storm” nickname among the ranks of the Rangers’ Association for nothing. He had been trained like many other Rangers to prepare himself for the unexpected _and_ the worst; if his quick raise through the ranks said anything, then it was safe to say that he actually fared better than many other Rangers in that regard no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

Still, no matter how well-trained he had been, Yuuri certainly hoped he did not have to deal with the fact that their house was almost turned into a _murder scene_. Especially when he was the one that is being held at sword-and-rifle-point by a boy few inches shorter than he was.

Using Viktor’s own weapon, no less.

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/4/29, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

“Vitya, calm down. _I’m_ the one in danger here, remember?”

 

Viktor couldn’t be in any fouler mood that morning.

His morning, supposed to be off to a great start because it was Yuuri’s turn to cook breakfast (and heavens and ancients knew how much he _loved_ his husband’s cooking), turned sour when he suddenly felt a nasty knock on his head just as he was about to greet his husband and was momentarily rendered out cold as a result. When he regained his consciousness, it didn’t take long for him to instinctively reach out for his Elesys device from his pocket as soon as he realized his weapon - the infamous prototype of first-generation sword-rifle manufactured by Babicheva Foundation - had gone missing.

Of course Viktor should’ve seen it coming; the mess was partially their own fault in the first place, after all. Rescue or not, what kind of sane person would choose to keep the very same person who had tried to kill them several times in their house? Though at least Yuuri and him had been sensible enough to confiscate this person’s combat equipment and keep them in the local branch’s Association office.

 

Unfortunately, as their current predicament showed, the precaution was not _that_ effective when it came to dealing with someone affiliated to the Scavengers’ group. Especially not one who was so notorious to the point of getting his own dreaded nickname: the Fairy of Death.

And if Viktor’s past encounters with the Fairy of Death were anything to go by, the nickname was certainly well-deserved.

 

“One step forward and this pig is dead. I advise you to stop twiddling around with that junk device of yours if you want him alive, old man.”

 

Contrasting his deceiving his appearance - a slender, a almost-androgynous blond-haired teenager that partially originated the “fairy” part of his title -, the Scavenger currently holding Yuuri at blade-point was one of the most formidable individuals Viktor had ever fought. Anyone with half a brain knew that no ordinary assassin would do to take out a first-class Ranger like him, even more so to be sent several times for that task. Given how the blond-haired teen was constantly giving him and Yuuri tough time no matter how skillful they had become at reading his movement patterns, Viktor had to tread carefully if he wanted to end this mess without spilling blood.

So here he was, standing several feet apart from one of his most frequent would-be killers, who in turn was sticking the blade of his stolen weapon close to his husband’s neck; awkwardly due to the length of his weapon and the fact that he was shorter than Yuuri, but was still enough to blow the dark-haired man’s head with one wrong move. The two were glaring at each other, with Viktor’s fingers were tightly gripped on his Elesys device as he was ready to unleash the ice-elemental spell he had prepared, holding back only because having Yuuri’s blood spilled on the floor of their own house was the last thing he had ever wanted. Or freeze him by accident in his attempt to disarm the hostile teenager before him, for that matter.

“Vitya,” Yuuri spoke again, his tone was calm despite the nervousness written all over his face from his present situation, “ _please_.”

At time like this, Viktor was not sure whether he should feel proud of how much Yuuri had grown since his first became a Ranger, or unsettled because how the hell _he_ was the one who was feeling more nervous when it was his husband was the one who was having that cold, sharp metal less than an inch from his neck? He finally let out a resigned sigh and turned off his Elesys device, his eyes still giving piercing look at the young Scavenger holding Yuuri hostage.

 

“…What do you want?”

Still firmly gripping the handle of the stolen blade-rifle with his hand, the blond teenager snarled back at him.

“Just what are you planning…?”

Viktor didn’t answer, instead he gave a slightly confused look which annoyed the young Scavenger.

“I’ve heard stories of how much of a _weirdo_ the Silver Blizzard is, but I never take you to be the _stupid_ type.” The teenager continued. “Saving the guy who has tried to kill you several times, keeping him custody in your own house…unless you’re indeed too much of an idiot to be allowed to live, then you must have a damn good reason for this. So, what do you want? My employer’s identity?”

 _Oh_.

“Nothing…though admittedly, one or two words regarding your employer would be nice.” Viktor shrugged. “But that’s beside the point. You were dying out there, and it didn’t look like they were going to help you. Do you think we could just let you be?”

The Scavenger just glared back at him, obviously still not convinced. Viktor sighed, the headache caused by the assault on his head earlier was coming back at full force.

 

“Well…what do you want then, Fairy of Death?”

 

It was safe to say that both Viktor and the young Scavenger were taken aback at the sudden voice joining their strained conversation. They proceeded to turn their attention at the dark-haired man who was still being trapped by the blade of Viktor’s weapon, still looking calm despite his own situation.

“Look, I don’t blame you for having zero trust in us Rangers, and if you want to leave now, go ahead. But…” Seeing the teenager was lowering his guard, Yuuri used the opportunity to get a firm grip on the other’s hand that was currently wielding his husband’s weapon, though he moved no further than that afterwards. “…surely you’re not foolish enough to let the Rangers paint a huge mark on your head in your current situation, are you? In the house of two high-rank Rangers, at that?”

Silence. For a moment, it looked like Yuuri’s words were sinking into the young Scavenger’s mind before he raised the stolen weapon once again, although his hostage’s reasoning had seemingly overtaken his hostility for the most part.

 

“…I’m still not telling about my employer.”

Viktor shook his head. He was still not pleased that the boy had not let his husband go, but at least he had calmed down enough to let the grip on his Elesys device loose and put it back on his pocket.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve had at least a dozen others targeting my head.” The silver-haired man deadpanned. “As much as I want to know and deliver payback for making my job harder, it would be highly unproductive for my career to spend my time tracking them all down instead of doing more urgent jobs I’m supposed to finish.”

Another discomforting silence. It took a couple of minutes before the tension broke at last when the young Scavenger finally let go of Yuuri and dropped the weapon he had stolen from Viktor. He stormed out of the room before any of the two Rangers could say anything, but Viktor couldn’t care less about the loud thud from the direction of their house’s entrance right now. Instead, his eyes went back to Yuuri, who was now slumped on the floor as soon as the danger was over, his calm demeanor from before had disappeared.

 

“Yuuri…” Viktor didn’t need to think twice before he pulled his husband into an almost bone-crushing hug as soon as he positioned himself so he was crouching before Yuuri and their faces were on the same level. “…for Guardians’ sake, are you all right?”

“Yeah…” Yuuri mumbled as he let his face buried into the fabric covering Viktor’s shoulder, inhaling the man’s scent as much as he could as he was trying to stop his body from trembling - whether it was from the immense relief or from the feeling of terror he had tried so hard to hold back behind his calm front earlier, Viktor was not sure. “…I thought I was doomed there.”

Viktor let out a sigh as feeling of guilt slipped into his mind. He knew it came with their job, the danger and risk of being high-rank Rangers, but the knowledge did not do any good to ease him down over the fact that he could’ve lost his significant other just moments ago.

“I’m sorry.”

“We both agreed not to have him put in the Association’s custody.” Yuuri gently shook his head before he wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist. “And it could’ve been worse at the hands of other Rangers. I’m just glad he can at least be reasoned with. Still…”

Yuuri didn’t finish his sentence, instead he glanced at the direction of their house’s entrance, as if seeking the trail of the youth who had nearly killed him moments earlier. It didn’t take long for Viktor to understand what was in his husband’s mind.

“He’ll come back.” Viktor said reassuringly. “Like you said, he’s not stupid. Besides, he’s bound to need his weapons back, and I doubt he’d risk himself by barging into the branch after all the trouble we had gone through for him.”

Yuuri smiled in response. He let go of Viktor once the tension from the earlier confrontation had left him, prompting an almost disappointed grunt from the older man. It did not last long, however.

 

“Well, since the fairy’s not returning any time soon…say Yuuri, what’s for breakfast today?”

A heart-shaped smile was plastered on Viktor’s mouth.

It was supposed to be a _normal_ occurrence by now, but Yuuri still couldn’t help but to wonder on what sort of appropriate reaction he had to give at how quickly his husband switched from almost arresting a would-be criminal to cheerfully thinking about food within such short timespan. For now, though, he settled with amusement, happily indulging his husband’s appetite for the rest of the morning.

Of course, he didn’t forget to prepare some food for the rogue Scavenger to eat later, the fact that the same boy almost killed him just a few minutes ago be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for terminologies! I may move these into a separate encyclopedia-ish work later if it works better for you.
> 
>  **Rangers and Rangers' Association**  
>  Officially described as an organization that “serves to improve the citizens’ life through community services related to their safety and well-being“, the Rangers consist people of varying backgrounds that perform tasks given or prompted by citizens of a country, ranging from safety-related (e.g. escort missions and monster extermination) to mundane duties such as helping out in a job. Most of the Rangers primarily specialize in combat, but they are also required to possess other abilities such as negotiation and work skills to maximize their performance in their sworn duty.
> 
> This element is modeled after Bracers in _Kiseki_ series and the Adventurers in _Atelier_ series' Arland Trilogy.
> 
>  **Scavengers**  
>  Mercenaries and hired guns who take all sorts of work at a price, Scavengers are the antithesis of Rangers in many ways. Unlike Rangers who are obliged to maintain neutrality and avoid political involvement when possible, this makes them ideal for dirty works such as espionage and assassinations. Many infamous Scavengers wield heavily customized weaponry and are among the deadliest individuals ever exist in the land.
> 
> This element is modeled after Jaegers in _Kiseki_ series.
> 
>  **Elesys**  
>  ELESYS (formally “Elements-based Device for Tactical Combat and Support System”, often shortened as “Elements Support System” or “Elements Device”) is a pocket watch-sized device that allows its user to harness elemental powers in a manner similar to magic, although it is not “true” magic per se since the performance is restricted by the structure of the device. Most Elesys devices are customized to fit its user's aptitude, but mass-produced Elesys devices also exist, mostly for self-defense purposes of non-combatants.
> 
> This concept is based on combat orbment in _Kiseki_ series.
> 
>  **Elements**  
>  The foundation of everything that forms the world and said to be the gift from the Guardians. There are multiple elements in this world, but the well-known ones are:  
>  **Common/base elements:** Flame, water, air, thunder, tree  
>  **Nonstandard elements:** Force, optic (light and darkness), time (limited), dimension (limited)  
>  **Unknown/lost elements:** Time, dimension, "life" (elements and magic related to soul, blood, necromancy, and similar elements)
> 
>  **Elemental affinity**  
>  A person's customized Elesys device is strongly tied to their elemental affinity; some may be well-adjusted for multiple elements, while others may fare much better in one or two elements. Yuuri, for example, has no restriction for his Elesys device due to his affinity to all elements, but the core of Viktor's Elesys device is restricted to water element (though his water-based spells work better than Yuuri's as a result).
> 
> * * *
> 
> Hit me up on my [Tumblr](https://maclaeroni.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/euclaeptus) [accounts](https://twitter.com/exclaebur)! I mostly draw, but I'd also like to hone my skill on writing and explore more AU ideas. \o/


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blond-haired Scavenger might have tried to kill Yuuri, but it didn't change the fact that he was still his and Viktor's guest. And a member of Katsuki family could never tolerate anyone disrespecting their guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action-oriented chapter. Hopefully this turns out okay...

Despite Viktor’s reassurance, Yuuri could not stop himself from worrying.

On one hand, he knew the Scavenger wanted nothing but to be left alone, and considering his temper Yuuri didn’t want to agitate the youth further if it meant it would just end up worsening the latter’s situation. On the other hand, well…he was not sure how the Scavenger of Black Wisps worked and he was certain as hell he would rather not, but part of him wondered if they would just let go a highly talented Scavenger like the Fairy of Death without much fuss.

As it turned out, he had every reason to be worried.

When the Scavenger returned a few hours later, Yuuri and Viktor were alarmed instead of relieved. The former immediately retrieved his weapon - a mechanical battle staff that had been customized so it resembled a dull-edged halberd - and rushed to the front door, stopping only to look at his partner before he could say anything.

 

“Vitya, stay with him. Tell the branch too, just in case we need extra hands for arresting people.”

 

Viktor nodded, both signifying understanding and silently telling his husband to look after himself. It would be a lie if he was not worried because it was _the fucking Black Wisps_ they were talking about, but he knew he had more important matter to attend as his gaze shifted to the youth standing not far from him, who was trying to keep himself steady by leaning to the wall.

Compared to how he had been a few days before, the blond Scavenger was obviously looking nowhere as _near-dead_ as he had been when Yuuri and Viktor rescued him, but it was obvious that he had been exerting himself quite a bit since his departure that morning. The silver-haired Ranger could see traces of blood on the Scavenger’s face and sleeves, although what worried him the most was the pool of blood from the latter’s shirt, apparently the result of his reopened wound.

_Dammit, I thought the Wisps consider their members expendable…? Why suddenly chasing this kid now?!_

“We need to get you treated.” Viktor said sternly as he took medical supplies out from nearest cupboard and activated his Elesys device, ignoring the frown still sticking on their guest’s face. “You can fuss and complain later, but surely you do not want to die soon, do you?”

The youth responded with another glare, but he offered no resistance and quietly complied with Viktor’s orders as he began to remove the bloodied shirt in order to allow his hosts to examine his injuries. Which was good, since Viktor didn’t want to deal with his guest being difficult right after that morning’s incident and Yuuri was not around to immediately cover their rears in case of trouble.

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/4/29, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Artesia Forest Path._ **

Rangers and Scavengers were never meant to get along.

The idea reinforced itself into Yuuri’s mind as he landed a swift, precise strike at the abdomen of one of the three black-clad individuals - a _gigantic_ man wielding an elemental machinery-powered hammer - within his proximity, paralyzing the man as soon as the Ranger let his weapon’s mechanism to finish the job for him. In retaliation, one of the remaining black-clad individuals - a tall woman with short hair and insignia of Black Wisps tattooed on her arm - charged into Yuuri’s with a mechanized sword in her hands, while the other - a dark-haired boy similar to the young Scavenger in his house in terms of build - was preparing a spell using his Elesys device.

Needless to say, the air surrounding them reeked nothing but mutual hostility. For Yuuri, however, it was not a _simple_ matter of irreconcilable difference of principles between the two professions. Family business or not, the Katsuki family had never taken kindly anyone wronging their guests, and his opponents just happened to have been conducting said offense on the youth currently under his care.

 

Yuuri _tsk_ -ed as the edge of his opponent’s mechanized blade managed to open a small cut on his sleeve, barely missing his skin. His attempt to dodge the attack caused him to fall into the ground on his back, and he didn’t have time to immediately recover his stance as soon as he realized his other opponent’s Elesys device had finished processing its owner’s spell command. Heat was pooling in the air around the Ranger, and it didn’t take much for him to realize what sort of spell that had been cast and instinctively rolled away as far as he could. He momentarily sighed in relief as soon as a flame pillar shot from the ground where he had been seconds prior before returning his attention to the pair (and the one now-unconscious man) before him and glared at them.

 _Persistent bastards,_ Yuuri mentally grumbled. Not that he could blame the Scavengers entirely considering they just happened to be assigned with the job, but the fact that the Wisps had broken out of their hands-off habit and were out for one of their former members’ blood now made Yuuri wonder if something had occurred within the largest Scavengers’ group in the entire continent. There were two most possible reasons he could think of, however:

  1. his guest had been intended to die in his last mission due to carrying sensitive information regarding the Black Wisps that his higher-ups didn’t want it to spread, or
  2. he pissed off someone among the Wisps and it became personal.



_Well, not that they matter._ Just because he could almost sympathize with them didn’t mean he could let them off the hook. If anything, now that it was clear the Black Wisps just wouldn’t quit, Yuuri no longer found any reason to hold back against them.

 

As he tightened the grip on his battle staff-slash-halberd, Yuuri glanced at the power supply system of his weapon. The battle had dragged on long enough for his weapon to gather enough energy - not enough to kill, but more than enough for one attack to knock the rest of his opponents out. He decided not to waste another second and prepared himself, configuring his Elesys device at the same time so it would unleash area-wide lightning spell to make sure the Scavengers wouldn’t be able to dodge his next attack.

Of course, the remaining pair of Scavengers wouldn’t go down without fight. As soon as Yuuri’s fingers finished tinkering around with his secondary weapon, the boy who nearly turned him to ashes before decided to throw a pair of knives to his direction. Yuuri dexterously deflected both of them with his staff, but he didn’t have time to relax as the woman who cut his sleeve earlier released a massive gust of wind from her mechanized sword, one which he did not have time to avoid.

His right leg stung. Yuuri winced at the sudden jolt of pain and the sensation of blood leaking through the cut caused by the wind razor, but he did not falter. Mentally counting the remaining time before his spell could finally take effect, he focused his thought on his trusted weapon.

_This is it…!_

Lightning bolts fell from the sky as soon as Yuuri’s Elesys device finished processing the spell he inputted, landing right above the black-clad Scavengers before they could get away. The Ranger then moved immediately and raised his battle staff. A massive wave of energy was swirling around the head of his weapon, and before the spell wore off, Yuuri swung the halberd as hard as he could to the air before him, sending massive shockwave that knocked the remaining two Scavengers at last.

“I hope…” the dark-haired man finally said between his breaths, “…you learned your lesson…not to mess with anyone under the protection of a high-rank Ranger.”

With the rush of the combat leaving him at last, Yuuri could feel the pain on his leg came back to him, forcing his knees to the ground. He retrieved his Elesys device back from his pocket and hastily configured it to cast recovery spell on himself, using the handle of his weapon to keep himself steady.

He could only hope Viktor wouldn’t go _ballistic_ at the Scavengers in case he was assigned for interrogation later.

 

“Yuuri!”

 

A familiar voice snapped Yuuri back into alertness. Turning around, he spotted two men were running to his direction not far from where he was crouching, giving an exhausted as one of them went slack-jawed at the sight of the unconscious Scavengers before them.

“You’re late, Phichit, Seung-Gil. We need to take these guys back.”

Seung-Gil said nothing and immediately went to work, securing one of the Scavengers and lifted him on his back. Phichit, meanwhile, was staring back and forth between the Scavengers and Yuuri before he took notice of the blood pool on Yuuri’s trousers and rushed to his side.

 

“Wait, really…? You? Taking down three Black Wisps by yourself?”

Yuuri snorted.

“You wound me, Phichit. They’re troublesome, yes, but those years being a Ranger aren’t for nothing.”

Phichit grinned.

“I expect no less from my best friend and the Azure Storm!” he exclaimed gleefully. “Well, I guess I better get to work then…wait, which one am I supposed to drag back to the office?”

 

Silence. Phichit’s sunny expression was soon replaced with an incredulous look when Yuuri and Seung-Gil eyed at the unconscious gigantic Scavenger that Yuuri had knocked out first, the mechanized hammer was still locked in his fingers.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Phichit whined. “Yuuri, you’re the one with the godlike stamina here!”

“Yes, but if you can handle that huge-ass cannon of yours daily just fine, then one hour of a walk carrying this guy shouldn’t pose a problem.” Yuuri deadpanned. “Besides, are you seriously making me carry that guy with my leg like this?”

Phichit grumbled in response, but chose to do his job anyway.

 

“Traitors, both of you. And Yuuri? _Her_ name is Terra Incognita, not ‘huge-ass cannon’.”

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/4/29, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

When Yuuri returned home two hours later, the blond Scavenger was tucked in the guest room bed with Viktor watching over him. Viktor looked like he was about to protest the moment he spotted the bloody patch on his husband’s leg, but Yuuri immediately raised his hand and gestured to their injured guest. Viktor responded by giving a resigned sigh and chose not to question his husband further.

“His condition isn’t as bad as we have feared.” Viktor spoke as his fingers were idly fiddling with his Elesys device before he turned at the Scavenger. “You heal fast, don’t you, kiddo?”

The young Scavenger just let out a grunt in response, gritting his teeth in pain when one of his newly-acquired wounds started to hurt again. Yuuri noticed that they had mostly closed off thanks to Viktor’s recovery spell, although the scowl from since the teenager regained his consciousness had not left his face at all.

 

“Well, at any rate, I have taken care of your pursuers, so they shouldn’t go anywhere near you again soon.” said Yuuri as he took a seat beside his husband. “That reminds me…”

“…What?”

“We never actually learn about your name...do we?”

The Scavenger responded with a bewildered look, as if wondering where the sudden question came from.

“Your name.” Yuuri continued. “We know who you are as a Scavenger - the Fairy of Death of the Black Wisps, but we never actually get your name. And it’s not like we can continue calling you as ‘kid’ or things like that.”

The young Scavenger did not immediately answer, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the older men’s faces before him for their intent. He finally let out a sigh when it looked like remaining silent would do no good for him. That, and as much as he hated debts, he owed the Rangers pair his life anyway; it would be offensive not to at least let them know his identity.

 

“…Yuri. Yuri Plisetsky.” The young Scavenger mumbled. “I thought you have enough reports about me by now to know about my name.”

Viktor’s eyes widened at the mention of the name.

“Plisetsky…? You mean _that_ Plisetsky?”

Yuri shot another glare in return.

“Does it matter?”

“Nah.” Viktor smiled. “It just feels strange, that’s all. Here I am, standing before the relative of the man who used to regularly fight against my grandfather…”

“I don’t give a damn about whatever grudge Gramps still had on that old man of yours or the other way round, alright?” Yuri snapped. “I had a contract, told to finish you off. End of story.”

 

“But it looks like the contract is over, if your injuries are anything to go by.”

Yuri bit his lower lip as soon as Viktor pointed the topic out. He glared at the silver-haired man again, but found himself too exhausted to form any sort of counterargument in his mind. And Viktor was right anyway; whatever the outcome of his last mission was, the Black Wisps no longer needed him now, to the point they went their way to personally finish him off in case he slipped out any important details those weren’t meant to be known outside of his former affiliation.

“…You can figure out what you want to do next once your wounds have recovered.” Yuuri spoke again before he rose from his seat. “Viktor, keep an eye on him, will you? I’ll handle the report just in case the guys from the Central Branch decided to make a fuss again.”

 

“Fine. Tell me if you need a hand, Yuuri.” Viktor nodded. “Wait, before I forget…”

“…What?”

Viktor didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he took his time to look back at forth between his husband and their currently-bedridden guest, confusing both of them before he finally spoke again.

“It’s a pain having two Yuris in this house.” The silver-haired man remarked before his mouth suddenly broke into another heart-shaped grin as he pointed his finger. “Fine, you’re Yurio from now on. How’s that?”

Yuuri groaned in response, ignoring the now-murderous look Yuri gave to both of them as he made his way out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terminologies? Terminologies.
> 
>  **Black Wisps**  
>  The largest group of Scavengers in the entire continent. They are feared by regular people - even many of the Rangers - due to housing some of the most notorious Scavengers ever existed, "The Fairy of Death" Yuri Plisetsky was among them. Doesn't stop other group of Scavengers from challenging them, however. And when the other group is good, things get bloody _really_ fast.
> 
> Oddly, despite placing high value over its members, the Black Wisps also consider them expendable no matter how formidable they are. Of course, considering what happened to Yuri, this gets called into question...
> 
>  **Mechanized arms**  
>  Folowing the events in Year 1422 of Archeis Calendar, elemental device-powered weaponry began to be researched and eventually see field usage in order to maximize elemental powers usage during combat. These weapons come in many forms, but the most common type to be mass-produced is the hybrid of firearm and sword. Viktor, Yuuri, Yuri, and Phichit all use mechanized weapons, with all of them have been heavily customized to suit their individual fighting styles.
> 
> The concept is based on _Kiseki_ series' orbal weaponry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri was slowly adjusting to his new life after he left his time as the Scavenger behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I swear this chapter was supposed to be shorter, but I do not want to wrap the story in abrupt manner and tried to add one or two more scenes, so this happened. OTL

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/5/7, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

Yuri had not honestly expected he would be allowed to reclaim possession over his combat equipment when Viktor came home with a pair of kukri-and-gun-shaped weapons and an Elesys device in his hands two weeks later.

“What’s this…?”

“Your weapons, what else? You seem to be well enough now to watch over yourself.” said Viktor before he continued with a more serious tone. “ Yuuri and I have an assignment incoming in Hasetsu, so if you decide to stay, you’ll need something to defend yourself when we’re not around.”

 

Yuri said nothing at Viktor’s words. He reached out for one of the kukri-guns that had become his most treasured possession for years and saved his life countless of times. The young Scavenger took his time to examine the familiar object _(dull blade, gun part unloaded…not that it matters)_ before he suddenly raised his weapon, pointing the blade part at Viktor’s direction.

“You know there’s still chance I will kill both of you with these things, don’t you?”

Viktor smirked.

“And I know you’re not idiotic enough to go that far. You decided not to go down easily - you won’t risk that by giving the Rangers’ Association any reason to place a price on your head. _Especially_ the Rangers.”

For some time, neither of them said anything, with Viktor still calmly looking at the teenager before him who was still keeping his weapon pointed at him. Finally, Yuri let out a sigh and shook his head, as if signifying that he had given up on trying to make sense over his rescuers’ behaviors.

“For your information, I still haven’t changed my opinion on both of you being either very brave or very stupid.”

“We get that a lot, don’t worry,” said Viktor nonchalantly. “So…now that you’re ready to get back in shape, want to spar? I won’t go easy on you, just so you know.”

For the first time since he came into the house, Yuri smiled. A genuine smile.

“Won’t have it any other way. Bring it on, old man.”

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/5/10, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

“You’re not very diligent when it comes to maintenance, are you?”

Yuri looked up, his eyes widened slightly. Before him, Yuuri was holding the blonde’s Elesys device while giving the youth a disapproving look.

“You can tell…?”

“I’ve been a Ranger for five years Yuri, and a combatant even longer than that,” said Yuuri as he returned his focus to the device in his hand and began disassembling it with the tools next to him. “You wouldn’t even pass the first semester in Ascott if you’re this lousy at keeping your weapon in check.”

Yuuri did not expect the line he had just dropped to take the youth’s interest.

 

“…So the rumor of you once being a student in the Ascott is true?”

Yuuri smiled while he continued tinkering with the Elesys device. Almost wryly, the ex-Scavenger noted.

“It is. I didn’t finish, though. Things happened.”

Yuri decided not to probe further, as much as the topic actually took his interest for once. Despite Yuuri’s welcoming presence, the ex-Scavenger felt that he was not in the appropriate place yet to find out about the more personal aspects of the older man’s history yet. So he decided to remain silent and observed the older man’s work, mentally taking note of the steps and maintenance process until he finished almost an hour later.

 

“Done. You better have it checked at Mila’s place later just in case I missed something.” Yuuri said at last as he handed the pocket watch-sized device back to the ex-Scavenger. “Just say we send you. I’m sure Mila would be excited to see you too, considering your device model is unlike the one her family normally makes.”

Given his inner monologue earlier, Yuri almost didn’t like the sound of the older man’s words.

“…Are you saying my weapon will be some sort of object of observation in research?”

Yuuri shrugged.

“Why not? They may find better way to keep it in top condition, and you’ll have less to worry in battle. Win-win.”

“Fine, whatever.” Yuri mumbled upon seeing he had no reason to argue, then proceeded to lower his voice to ensure Yuuri wouldn’t hear the rest of his words. “And, uh…thanks, Katsudon.”

Yuuri heard anyway.

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/7/2, City-State of Heimmr. Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

Yuri was not a honest type when it came to his feelings. However, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he was grateful for the hospitality the pair of Rangers had provided to him despite his numerous past attempts to kill the Silver Blizzard. Returning to his (former) comrades at the Black Wisps had been out of the question, so he was more or less stuck with Viktor and Yuuri now. Not that he was complaining.

Well, except for their disgusting habit of being publicly affectionate toward each other, that was.

It had been two months since Yuri first came to the Katsuki-Nikiforov household, and there had been surprisingly few attempts on his life by the Black Wisps since then. Yuuri credited the improved situation mostly to Phichit’s hard work _(Phichit Chulanont, third-class, affiliated to Heimmr branch_ , Yuri recalled _)_ , but the blond-haired teenager knew better than to ignore the recently-battered state of his rescuers’ weapons. He chose not to fuss over it, however; instead, he decided to help the pair in his own way while he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do now that his Scavengers’ group had ditched him.

 

“Are you sure, Yurio?” Viktor gave him a questioning look that was mixed with concern from the other side of the dining table. “There’s no doubt you’ll breeze through combat assignments, but depending on where you’ll be placed, you may won’t have it easy considering your clash against several Rangers in the past. You can still join other Scavengers if you want greater freedom.”

“I’m not repeating this, old man. I’m done being a Scavenger, and like hell I’m risking someone selling my back after all that shit with the Wisps.” Yurio pointed his fork at the older man as he replied. “And I owe you two that much. I don’t want to keep piling up my debt.”

 

Viktor and Yuuri looked at each other before returning their attention back to the teenager. Seeing the half-glare on the latter’s face that more or less indicated he would not take any “no” for answer, Yuuri shook his head and let out a resigned sigh, though it did nothing to hide the apparent delight now radiating from his face.

 

“Very well. I’ll see if we can recommend you to be put under immediately-available Ranger training.” The dark-haired man gave his approval before glancing at his husband. “Viktor, think you can assign an existing trainee to partner up with Yuri?”

“Now hang on a sec, Katsudon.” Yuri instantly stood up at the dark-haired man’s words, looking baffled. “Why the hell do I even need a partner…?”

“Because not all of your jobs can be solved using ‘hit first and ask questions later’, that’s why.” Viktor remarked with even tone, which prompted another frown from Yuri. “There is no doubt you’ll make excellent combat Ranger, but you won’t have that much freedom when you start. If you want to be a top-class Ranger, then you need to learn more than just monster-sweeping. Having a partner greatly helps.”

Yuri was still not amused.

“…Fine, good point. You better take responsibility if I end up having more unnecessary shit to deal with, though.”

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/7/18, City-State of Heimmr, Rangers’ Association Heimmr Branch Office._ **

When Yuri was allowed to step into the Association’s ground at last, he had expected his debut appearance would be welcomed with animosity. So he was taken aback when he was greeted with almost-overwhelming enthusiasm instead by the Ranger he had identified as Phichit _(must be him,_ Yuri thought, _who else among the Rangers of Heimmr was able to wield that stupid cannon?)_.

 

“Oooh, so this is my apprentice from now…?” Phichit’s eyes were _gleaming_ as he was examining the ex-Scavenger, then turned his attention at his good friend in almost conspiratorial grin. “Don’t worry Yuuri, I’ll be a good teacher and make sure your son can live up to your and Viktor’s name!”

Yuri could almost see his rescuer mentally face-palming just from the look on his eyes alone.

“He is not my _son_ , Phichit.”

The shit-eating grin did not go away.

“Really now…? Then I must’ve misheard something from Viktor.”

 

Yuuri face-palmed for real this time in exasperation. Yuri, meanwhile, proceeded to look at Phichit with a stare that was just oozing a flat-toned “what”, then turned his attention to the Azure Storm. He responded by giving the ex-Scavenger a look that was both pleading _and_ warning him not to bring the conversation up with Viktor later.

_Are all Rangers like these weirdos?!_

Yuri couldn’t tell now whether he was relieved because his definitely-not-concern turned out to be unfounded (well, that guy in the corner was eyeing him menacingly, but honestly he couldn’t give a damn), or he was annoyed because if whatever the guy before him said was true, then this would-be mentor of his was almost too loud for his liking.

Well, not like he had much choice anyway. Besides, it was at least more _bearable_ than having the Scavengers he could no longer trust out for his blood.

* * *

“Aaaand that covers the gist of your training.” Phichit said as he gave a quick tap on the blackboard before him with his chalk. “So, anything you’d like to go over, Yurio?”

“Why the hell are you calling me _Yurio_ too?!” Yuri snarled and briefly stood up in agitation before he returned to his seat, mentally cursing the Silver Blizzard for the less-than-desirable nickname he would apparently be stuck with from now. “And nope. No questions. I’ve been in missions harder than this, so this should be something I can breeze through easily.”

“Don’t get too confident now,” said Phichit, his cheerful tone almost masking the hint of warning underneath that more or less carried the message _I am assigned to oversee you not for nothing, you know_. His attention was soon turned away when he heard the sound of the room’s door creaking, the smile was still plastered on his mouth.

 

“Oh, Beka! Good, you’re here at last.”

 

Reflexively, Yuri turned to the door, following the trail of Phichit’s sight. A young man with dark hair and undercut was standing there, his expression was unreadable even as he gave Phichit a silent nod of acknowledgment. On his back was a _massive_ sword that would’ve normally been too impractical to be used as a weapon, looking almost awkward when combined with his rather short stature. It was already peculiar on its own, but what really caught Yuri was the _lack_ of any sort of elemental machinery on the stranger’s weapon, meaning he didn’t use mechanized weapon at all.

 

“Yurio, meet Otabek Altin. Beka, meet Yuri Plisetsky.” Phichit said as he gestured the other man to join them. “You two are stuck with each other until you are recognized as novice Rangers, so be nice to each other, yeah?”

The two’s eyes met as soon as they were introduced to each other. Otabek’s expression remained the same and he didn’t say anything, but he extended his hand to Yuri’s direction as if to greet him. Realizing the older man was scanning him, Yuri had no choice but to take said hand and shake it awkwardly. He didn’t have time to examine Otabek further, however, as soon as his newly-appointed tutor spoke again.

 

“Well, now that everyone’s here, I’d like you to cover and practice on these materials.”

* * *

Yuri sighed in frustration as he glared at the defunct Elesys device before him. With complete lack of guilt in his smile, Phichit had decided to have him study about elements device for the first part of his training and Yuri couldn’t help but to ask himself what sort of blasphemous act he had conducted that the Guardians had decided to test him with _this_.

Scratch that, he didn’t need anyone to answer. There was a reason why there was a saying among Scavengers that one did not fuck around with third-class Rangers and above. And Yuri had just made that mistake.

He was not stupid by any means, definitely not. He knew the basics of how an element device was supposed to work and how to do perform basic troubleshooting, but this? The inner working of the device _(another one manufactured by Babicheva Foundation, of course it has to be)_ was unlike anything he had seen, and for the most part, he had never been bothered to familiarize himself with the internals of an elements device unless his life really depended on it.

Beating the crap out of people was more right up his alley, after all.

 

“You’re lucky there is no fuel in that thing. You'd end up blowing yourself in the face otherwise, if you don’t remove the power supply first.”

Yuri froze almost instantly. Otabek, who had been busy with his own device to study on, was looking at him and the device in Yuri’s hand, his expression was _still_ difficult to decipher.

“For real…?”

“For real.” Otabek said flatly, pausing before he gestured at the Elesys device currently clutched in Yuri’s hand. “Do you want me to help with that?”

 

Yuri didn’t immediately answer. It was discomforting enough as it was to show it in front of his newly-appointed partner, but the fact that he was an ex-Scavenger? Even he found the idea of the Fairy of Death being apparently inept at maintenance despite his own mechanized weapon was ridiculous.

Still, he decided to swallow his pride in the end.

 

“…I’d appreciate that.”

 

Otabek nodded in response and silently set aside his own kit before moving his seat next to Yuri. He went to work as soon as Yuri handed him the defunct device, albeit at slow pace as if to allow the ex-Scavenger to observe the process. Still, it didn’t take much for Yuri to recognize the other man’s skill as he was disassembling the device.

 

“…You sure know your stuff.”

“My family used to run maintenance shop for elements device back in West Altheim.” Otabek explained, his attention was still not leaving the defunct device. “Viktor recommended me to the Babicheva Foundation when I first came here and I ended up spending a lot of time around these things, so they became something of a second nature for me by now.”

“Used to… _oh_.” Yuri stopped himself short the moment the place Otabek mentioned caught up to him. He had heard of the stories far too often that didn’t need to ask further about what happened, instead he tried to change the subject immediately.

 

“…Don’t you find it weird, though?”

Otabek immediately halted his hands from tinkering further with the Elesys device and looked at Yuri.

“What is?”

“Well…” Yuri paused. “…me, a Scavenger, a mechanized arm user, having crappy maintenance skills on elements device. You get the idea.”

Silence.

“It would be a lie if I don’t find the thought a little amusing.” Yuri couldn’t help but to glare when the other man’s stoicism broke down at last, his mouth was twitched into a small smile. “But it’s good to know the so-called Fairy of Death is just as human as the rest of us.”

Yuri was unsure on how he was supposed to respond to the honest answer Otabek gave to him.

“Still, it will be bad if you can’t do anything when your weapon is sabotaged.” The older man spoke again before the ex-Scavenger could respond to his earlier statement. “Unless you decide to switch to normal arms, then I advise you to work on that elements device knowledge of yours, and fast.”

The ex-Scavenger paused. Otabek hadn’t said it outright, but it was clear from his eyes that he was offering his assistance.

“…Okay, so what do you have in mind?”

“We’re stuck with the elements device topic this week, so why don’t you come over to the workshop tomorrow? I can help you check on your weapons too.” Otabek suggested. “You don’t need to go too far to heavy devices for now, just focus on the ones you’ll see frequent use on.”

Yuri nodded, a small smile formed on his mouth.

“Deal.”

_Guess this won’t be so bad at all._

* * *

**_Archeis Calendar 1443/7/18, City-State of Heimmr, Eastern Outskirts - Katsuki-Nikiforov House._ **

Yuri was lying on his bed that evening, looking idly at his Elesys device while his pair of weapons were settled next to his pillow. He had been more or less settled with his new life as part of Viktor and Yuuri’s household and the room he had been staying in had permanently become his space, but it didn’t mean he could easily leave his habits as a Scavenger behind. He knew that he was safe and sound, but his mind remained restless from years of having to stay alert unless he had his trusted weapons nearby.

It was something he had never noticed until he decided to quit as a Scavenger. Who knew the change would affect him that much?

His first day as a Ranger trainee had gone surprisingly well, considering the general animosity between Rangers and Scavengers. Yuri figured it might have something to do with Viktor and Yuuri’s influence in the Association, but it was almost curious at how Otabek just accepted and helped him without second thought, seemingly not bothered by his reputation as a former Scavenger.

 

It’s comforting, if he had to be honest. Especially since he was unsure at this point at how he was feeling regarding the identity that had defined his being for so long, for more than half of his fifteen-years life.

A Scavenger. The Fairy of Death of the Black Wisps. It wouldn’t go away any time soon, and really, he didn’t expect it would be that easy. And truth to be told, he was not even certain if his choice to try out the path of Ranger would be a better one for him.

 

Still, it was something he was willing to find out. And he certainly hoped that the choice he had made would be a better one for him.

**_the stray fairy of death - END  
-To be continued_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it. If you noticed, I intentionally dropped some hints regarding the world and the characters' back-stories.
> 
> I want to expand the story further in the future, but right now I don't have concrete idea on them, so for now they'll just remain hints. However, I will put this into series, as well as add stuffs regarding the world-building and the design both here and in my Tumblr.
> 
> Until then!

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on my [Tumblr](https://maclaeroni.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/euclaeptus) [accounts](https://twitter.com/exclaebur)! I mostly draw, but I'd also like to hone my skill on writing and explore more AU ideas. \o/


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